93 Tasting Notes

sigh …Just having one of those days that calls for some comforting cup of tea.

Before brewing:
These leafs are very small and thin. They smell sweet, with a hint of hay.

After steeping:
Yellow liquid with a neutral sweet aroma with a hint of something I can’t identify.
First sip is very sweet and reminds me of the honey pommelo(?) haves fruity notes, honey note and a bit aftertaste that lingers for some time. Describtion mentions lemon, but I am unable to find it.

Opinion:
I like the way this tea… quench the thirst? The sweetness of the tea just makes your mouth water. Uhmm, yummey <3

…If you had served me this tea and told me that it was Earl Grey
- then you would have FOOLED me!

’Cause it reminds me of the Earl … Kinda. I would had looked at the reddish liquid, bittersweet smell and gone “Oh, Earl grey is it?”. But a moment later or so I would had stopped, frowned, and stared at you with a confused look in my face.

“What is that nutty flavor” I would have asked you.
“What nutty flavor?”
“That Dirt/Nuttyness in the aroma”…

And then I would sip at the tea and my eyes would go big as I swallowed because I would think something in the line of :“Uhm… sweet black tea… Nutty…. And whats that TINGLE in the back of the troat!? I know this feeling! IT’S POISON!!!!”

Snort

But It’s just me who overreact. ‘Cause I am too silly (and don’t you all know it.)
Then I would sip again and talk about the flavors. Chocolat, bergamot, tobacco, nut and a earthy aftertaste.

Sweet and bitter taste.

Hmm… I like it.
But for the wrong reasons. I like it because this tea reminds me of MARLBORRO.
Don’t know why, maybe I was brainwashed before anything with cigarrets was banned from TV. Oh, don’t get me wrong – I don’t smoke. It’s just that I can imagine a Marlborro Guy in a bar drinking this tea. (Smirk).

I got this as a birthday present from a friend named Puk. (Awesome guy!)
The tea came in a little black box with the name “Darjeeling Himalaya” on the side. I looked it up on steepster and I guess this should be posted under “Darjeeling Pure Origine”. Nevermind the name – it’s still awesome. The box contains 30 muslin bags of tea, that looks like mushrooms. They look so cute! I love it!

I brewed it at 80 celcius, for 3-4 minuttes, and the result is a golden liquid that smells like honey. It’s a bit bitter, but not a overbrewed kind of bitterness to it. Does that make sense? It’s a bit like honey, truthfully. Somehow this tea reminds me of orchids because of Its sweet and flowery note at the end. Great aftertaste – hard to place and quickly gone.

Goodmorning.
Had a dramatic day yesterday, so I start out prepared today with compassioned, loyal and bitter Earl Grey at my side. The nightmare project seems never ending, and now the Universe seem to rot itself together againts me – thus me and the Earl sulk quietly at the corner.

Grins it’s really not that bad. But I reaally need a strong tea today, so Tommy’s basic Earl Grey followed me to school. I like the leaf’s. There was a lot of medium sized brown leafs, and some few lighter full leafs. (Don’t hang me up on it, I am drawing this from memory). It brewed up to a beautifull orange/brown tea.

The smell is very … Discreet? Sips It’s well blended. I hate when the leafs and the flavors don’t mix well, but in this there is a flow, red tread, togetherness. It’s bitter – but not overly so. Just enough that you feel that you got a slap on the back from a gay mineworker.
(I kid… But seriusly, it’s like a slap in the back, a “wake up” tea)
Bergamot can easily be too strong or too weak, but this has a nice balanced amount.

How will I rate this? Actually I only found one Earl Grey that I fully enjoyed.
This joins it. (The Earl Grey Army! GAH! – Yes I am silly, but that’s why you read this isn’t it?) The other Earl Grey is very soft and smooth, but this is a “round person”.

Auch! Major papercut!Runs crying to travelmug and feels sorry for herself

Let’s talk about the pearls. What makes them phoenix? Reads the description …
Huh. Anyway, can’t really see the difference between this and normal pearls. The size is about the same as A. C. Perchs Jasmine pearls, which is a little above the size of normal pearls. The Perch are a bit greener though. (These pearls has a lot of white streaks). Also worth noting: the pearls are somewhat very uneven in size and rooling.

Smell’s like…JASMINE!
So much, in fact, that it gives me headache.
People in my class claims that it smell’s like bubblegum?
(?How? In which way??)

Sips It’s very jasminy. Not as sweet as Canton’s pearls and not as sour as Perchs.
Actually, this is how I would think a “normal” jasmine tea SHOULD taste like.
It has a sweet aftertaste that dissappears quickly.

Phoenix or Dragon tacked on before “pearls” is just a throwback to why they were originally rolled into spheres – the whole auspicious mythical creature with a pearl/ball/sun/mystical orb. Only reason I hold onto the usage of either is because “Pearl Tea” (Zhu Cha) is Gunpowder, and it’s nice to have something to differentiate the size and shape.
Phoenix Eyes, on the other hand, are aptly named almond-shaped balls of tea.

This looks like oolong… Small hard pieces that goes:“kling – kling” when you drop them in the pot.

Light brown liquid with a green tint.
Taste surprisingly sweet… like a good black tea. Keemun?
Earthy, fruity flavor. It’s a very smooth tea. It’s very neutral at first, aromatic at the middle, and sweet at the end.

Aww! Pretty! Look’ a’ tha’ pretty pretty leavees…
Okay, I am beat. I should go to bed, but I want more tea!!!
One last pot before bed – I promise I’ll stop pestering your dashboard afterwards.
(untill I wake up Muhahah!)

First thing first: The leaves.
They are like gypsies. No dresscode! They twist and turn, they are broken and whole and they can’t decide whether they are black or white. (Some of them are only white on 1 mm. at the end? Weird huh? I can’t imagine how they produce this.) Smell’s like hay/cereal.

I read the instructions at Tillermans site. 1 min steep it said… But I only counted to 50.
But I am truly a very slow counter. And a tired one at that.

The finished product has a yellow hue. Yum. Sips Oh… this is very soft. Diplomatic. Silly flavorless words. Hmm… Okay, it’s sweet at first and bitter at the end. Earthy flavors. Very smooth. I am going to say the forbidden word: Assam-ish. I know, I can’t keep saying it! But it is. It taste like a middle thing between a assam and a white tea. And there is a little note of hay and honey.

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Bio

Many things can be said about me, but I rather not go into details… Other than the facts that: Yes, I am from Greenland (Yeah, it’s totaly awesome!) and I love my books, cats and tea.

I love all kinds of tea, but must confess a greater love towards the Da Hong Pao and a deep hatred for Ceylon and Pickwick. (Yes, I am aware that Ceylon is area). Sorry, It’s not them, it’s me.
Other than that I love the greens, the whites and the blacks (and all of the things in the middle) evenly.

Rating system – I love the smileyrate here on steepster, so I’ll just follow that. That’s 1 point for the worst tea in the history of man, and 100 point for some of the best tea… note that I usually rate high because I am a optimist and love all things tea.

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
~ C. S. Lewis